There remains a need in the art for an improved delivery system that employs (unmanned) aerial vehicles (preferably UAVs) or drones. In such systems, the delivery locations have a docking system or assembly that allows an aerial vehicle to land with a package and transfer said package to the docking system, which then provides it to the user. Most often, such a docking station is placed in a high location so the aerial vehicle may easily reach it without disturbing the surroundings, and with lower danger for the aerial vehicle itself (less obstacles and/or easier to spot the obstacle and adjust course depending thereon). Once the package is transferred, the drone may take off again, while the docking system handles the package, for instance via a chute or an elevator mechanism to provide it to the user in a convenient location (ground floor, mailbox . . . ).
Such systems are described in a multitude of documents, for instance U.S. Pat. No. 9,387,928, US 2016/159496, US 2016/257423, WO 2014/080389, WO 2017/072101, US 2015/158599, and many more. The first of these documents for instance describes a docking station for drones which is positioned on elevated structures such as poles, which create a network of ‘charge points’ for longer flights, but may also comprise a cargo retrieval system, which could withdraw the cargo from the drone. The others all describe similar subjects.
The applicant has noticed that all of these systems share a common flaw, namely allowing the better part of the hardware to be exposed to harsh environmental conditions as well as placing it beyond the practical reach of technical professionals (for repair, maintenance, installation . . . ), which greatly increases the difficulty of these operations.
Furthermore, none of the documents discloses a delivery system that is capable of receiving cargo from different types of drones, either having detachable cargo modules, or where the cargo module is inseparable from the aerial vehicle.
The present invention aims to resolve at least some of the problems mentioned above.